SIGGRAPH 2013 Partners with Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Keynote Session

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Marc Davis

SIGGRAPH 2013 is pleased to announce a partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to bring the Marc Davis Lecture Series to Anaheim for its Keynote Session on 22 July 2013. During this session, eight distinguished animation film directors will share their years of experience along complex paths to filmmaking success.

The panel, entitled "Giants’ First Steps", will explore the student works and early careers of the participating directors. Clips from their student films will be shown as part of the session. Among the panel participants are several Oscar recipients and nominees including:

•    Pete Docter
•    Eric Goldberg
•    Kevin Lima
•    Mike Mitchell
•    Chris Sanders
•    Henry Selick
•    David Silverman
•    Kirk Wise
•    Moderator: Randy Haberkamp, Managing Director of Programing, Education and Preservation, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

For detailed biographies on the directors, click here.

“SIGGRAPH is thrilled to establish such a great collaboration with the Academy and to welcome an amazing line up of directors to our conference,” says Mk Haley, SIGGRAPH 2013 Conference Chair from Disney Research. “Having such remarkable talent and experience in one room, on one stage may never happen again.  It is certain to be a thrilling Keynote Session and especially fitting that we recognize Marc Davis's great legacy and these invited guests at our 40th annual conference.”

Haberkamp adds, “It’s always fascinating to see the early student work of a filmmaker we’ve come to admire, and the Academy hopes these glimpses into our panelists first steps will be as inspiring to future filmmakers as Marc Davis’s work is to animation fans everywhere.”

The Academy's first Marc Davis Lecture took place in 1994 with Davis himself, one of Disney’s “Nine Old Men,” as the inaugural participant in this lecture named in his honor. The Marc Davis Lecture was established to provide a forum for film animators and other experts in the craft to share their experiences as well as to explore with colleagues the challenges of creating animation for the screen.

Davis’ association with Walt Disney and the Disney Studio began in 1935. Among the characters to whom Davis gave shape and life were Bambi, Brier Rabbit, Cinderella, Tinkerbell, Maleficent and Cruella DeVil. He also did extensive preliminary work on a number of the attractions featured at the New York World’s Fair, Disneyland, Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland, including “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “It’s a Small World” and “The Haunted Mansion.”

Marc Davis died in Los Angeles after a brief illness on 12 January 2000, at the age of 86. His work continues to inspire new generations of artists.